A Stranger's Point of View
by Soleil342
Summary: Follows up from THE KISS rayneela. It’s a little different from other stories in that it is from the POV of someone else, not a character of ER. It’s a little random, but I thought it would be interesting to look at the situation from the POV of a person


Title: A Stranger's Point of View

Author Soleil

Summary: Follows up from THE KISS (ray/neela). It's a little different from other stories in that it is from the POV of someone else, not a character of ER. It's a little random, but I thought it would be interesting to look at the situation from the POV of a person that wasn't already involved. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely resembling ER, it belongs to its writers and producers. Except for Robert, he's mine ;)

Spoilers: season 13 episode 17.

A/N: I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inaccurate information about cars, I know nothing about them or how they work so please excuse me if what I say about the engine or radiator does not make sense. :)

Stranger's POV:

It had been a really long day at the office and all I wanted to do was go home to my wife. Two of my cases fell through and the man I was prosecuting for sexually assaulting my client had been given bail, against my request. The guy would be out on the streets by tomorrow morning and would disappear within a day without a trace, leaving my client no justice. Loopholes are a bitch when they're working against you, and being a lawyer definitely has its ups and downs. Not that, that wasn't enough, on my way home my car engine started making noises, and slowed down, then conked to a stop. Great. It had been standing in the ice all day and I didn't let it warm up properly before driving in my haste to get home, and it looked like the battery had gone dead. The car had stopped in front of an apartment building in the dead of the night. There was no one around and I started to think about how to get out of this one. My cell was dead, the car wouldn't start, and there was no one around to ask help from. Really great.

After sitting in my car and freezing my ass off for a while I saw a red truck pull up. I quickly got out of the car in case they drove away, but I didn't have to worry about that, the car stopped in front of the apartment building. It was across the road from where I was standing. I began to walk towards the car to ask the person to help jump start my car. I trudged towards the truck against the cold that was starting to seep into my body. I was pretty close to the car when I noticed that there was not one, but two people in the car: a man and a woman. I was just about to take the remaining steps and knock on the window of the car on the driver's side to get their attention when they leaned into each other for a kiss, then another one, and another one...oh boy...at this rate I was going to be here all night.

Neela's POV:

What had started out as soft tentative kisses had turned hot and heavy pretty quick. I was beginning to feel a little bit light headed, and for the first time in a long time I was doing what felt right instead of what I thought was right. He had given me the first few kisses but I had began plenty of my own and soon his hand was stroking my hair and massaging the base of my neck. His other hand was still holding onto mine and my free hand had unconsciously began to rake through his hair. This kiss was the most mind blowing kiss that I had ever shared with someone. I felt alive and as if I was going to die, I felt him everywhere yet I still wasn't close enough to him, I felt breathless yet I didn't want to stop. I wasn't ready to let go of this feeling. Ever.

Ray POV:

When I had leaned in to kiss Neela I had thought with some confidence in my mind that she would push me away, possibly slap me, and never talk to me again. But the exact opposite had happened. She hadn't pulled away, in fact she had kissed me back. I never intended it to go as far as it was getting, I just wanted to take my chance and just express what I had been holding back for months now; but now that we had started I couldn't bring myself to stop, and it didn't feel like Neela was willing to stop either. I was getting a bit breathless but I wouldn't be able to pull away for my life, my heart was pulsing in my head, and I was so entranced by Neela's luscious lips that I almost missed the knocking on my window. Very reluctantly I pulled away and brought myself back to reality. I was a little dazed and wasn't too sure about what was going on. There was a man standing next to my car, he had knocked on my window and was now giving me an sheepish smile. I rolled down my window, this guy had better have a good reason for interrupting.

"Hey man, sorry for interrupting you two but it's freezing out here and my car broke down I was wondering whether you could give me a jump-start?"

Okay, that was a slightly good reason. I looked at Neela who seemed flushed and turned back towards the man and forced a small smile.

Stranger's POV

After about 15 minutes of standing out in the cold waiting for them to finish I had had enough. I was freezing my ass off and was not in the mood for watching this couple go at it for hours. I knocked on the window and startled the poor couple out of their little world. After asking for help the guy had gotten out of the car to go take a look at the car. His wife or girlfriend, I wasn't sure, got out of the other side and followed her...whatever he was to her. He asked me to pop the hood and started checking the car over with his girl looking on.

"Well it definitely looks like your battery is dead and your radiator seems to be frozen. Lets jump start it and then we can wait for it to warm up." He moved his car closer to mine and I connected the cables properly and we gave it a go. It started and I left it there to warm up. I wanted to thank them for all their help.

"Thanks very much for your help man, I probably would have been freezing my ass off out here all night if wasn't for the two of you," I said extending my hand.

"It's no problem," he replied while shaking my hand. I extended my hand to the woman and thanked her also.

Neela's POV:

Ray and I were pulled from each other by a knocking on the window, turned out there was a man there whose car had broken down and needed help. I was beginning to feel flustered and Ray looked a little irritated at the interruption but he got out of the car and helped the guy out. I couldn't help but stare at Ray while he looked the guy's car over, there was something that pulled at me when Ray did handy-work...like fixing my TV. He jump started his car for him and afterwards the guy came out to thank Ray, and then turned to thank me, although I hadn't actually done anything.

"Why don't you come in for a cup of coffee to warm you up while you're waiting for your car to warm up?" I made the offer after seeing how frozen the poor guy looked. He hesitated for a moment then replied, "sure, why not."

I led both men into the apartment, and thanked God that I had thought to clean recently. It was kind of ironic, I always used to yell at Ray for making a mess, but now I couldn't seem to keep anything clean. Quite suddenly there were piles of dishes in the sink, books strewn all over the place, and now I was the one using the couch as a clothes hamper, but this time there was no Ray in the apartment to blame. I blushed with my back to Ray as I was unlocking Abby's door at the kind of things he would say if he knew how much he had rubbed off on me. I quickly unlocked it and waited until they both passed to close and lock the door.

"Go ahead and take a seat, I'll just get the coffee," I gestured to the both of them and they nodded.

"Thanks. Umm...listen, my cell phone is dead, do you mind if I use your phone to call my wife, she's probably worried sick I was supposed to be home hours ago."

"Sure, of course, it's right on the stand over there."

"Thanks."

I was leaving to go into the kitchen area so I could put on the coffee when Ray stood up and said, "let me help you with it while he's on the phone." I gave him a small smile, I wasn't really sure how to act around him right now. We both went into the kitchen to leave...whoever that guy was to call his wife.

Ray's POV

I followed her into the kitchen and we mechanically started making the coffee in silence. I didn't know what to say to her yet, and I didn't know what was going on in her head. I mean, I knew that she couldn't hate me, she had kissed me back, but it wasn't that simple, she was still seeing Gates. I washed out the coffee pot while she got the ground coffee beans. While we were waiting we both just leaned against the counter next to each other, there was a tantalizingly small amount of space between us, I could feel the heat from her body but we weren't touching, so I leaned a little closer for the contact and I felt her sigh and relax into to me. We both just stood there and listened to the half of the phone conversation that we could hear.

"Yeah, honey I'm sorry, but my car broke down and my phone died so I couldn't call. No, I'm fine. A nice couple helped me out, I'm just waiting for the car to warm up and then I'll be home. Don't wait up for me. Huh...yeah, let me talk to her then...Hi princess. Daddy's running a little late because his car broke down. Listen, it's getting late so listen to your mom and go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow morning alright sweetheart? Okay, Daddy loves you, don't give mom a hard time. Sweet dreams. Bye. Okay Heather, I should be home within a couple of hours. Yes, I told you I'm fine. I love you. Bye."

And then there was silence.

Stranger's POV

I asked to call my wife, Heather, to let her know that everything was okay. She worried nonsensically sometimes. After I hung up with Heather I didn't really know what to do with myself. I decided to join the couple in the kitchen, praying and hoping that I wasn't about to interrupt another make-out session. I walked in to see the both of them just leaning against the counter together and the man had his arm wrapped around the woman's shoulders. I cleared my throat to announce myself and they immediately jumped, though they did not jump apart. It was the man that spoke up this time, "coffee's almost ready."

I nodded my thanks to him, and then a funny thought just hit me. I had interrupted this couple's private moment, then they had helped me with my broken car and invited me into their home out of kindness and I didn't even know their names, nor did they know mine. I expressed my sentiments to them and extended my hand as a way of introduction, "my name is Robert Jones, PA." The man shook my hand and introduced himself, "Ray Barnett, I'm an ER doc at County General," and then the woman introduced herself, "Neela, I'm a surgeon at County General."

"Nice to meet the both of you. I'm really thankful to you both, if either of you need a legal favor look me up, I handle malpractice suits all the time," I added with a chuckle. The woman, or Neela, gave a pretty little laugh and said, "thanks, we'll keep it in mind," all the while Ray looked down at her with adoring eyes, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders. I gave a tired sort of laugh (after this day I didn't have much energy) and continued, "well I'm serious. Anything I can do to repay you I will. And of course I apologize for interrupting..." Suddenly Neela became a little flustered and began to babble, "it's alright, it was nothing. We needed to move out of the cold anyway, no big deal. I think the coffee's done." She said all of this in one breath and quickly moved away from Ray, letting his arm drop off of her shoulders and moving to get the coffee ready. With her back to us, me and Ray shared a look that only two strange males could share at the perplexities of women. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and he looked to the ceiling of the kitchen and heaved a sigh that said plainly to me that this was a long story. I had been down that road already and knowingly nodded my head and offered him a sympathetic smile. Meanwhile Neela had high-tailed it out of the kitchen with our coffees, Ray reluctantly followed, not letting his eyes stray from her back, and I followed suit.

Ray's POV

When I had put my arm around Neela I thought she would push me away or at least stiffen at the gesture, but for the second time that night, she surprised me. She leaned further into me and I could feel the contours of her side adapt to mine as I rubbed my hand up and down her warm arm. I don't think I've ever felt this at ease with a girl by simply standing next to her. Our little world was again interrupted by the stranger. He introduced himself and Neela and I did too, he thanked us again and offered a favor in return for tonight to which Neela had replied with one of her sweet laughs. I looked at her, adoring the heavenly sound that accompanied her sweet smile. And then, Robert did the unthinkable, he apologized for interrupting us in the car. I was torn between telling him that he had the worst timing ever and dread because I knew, no matter how receptive Neela was being to me at the moment, she would not take this well. And of course my Neela did not disappoint, she started babbling and fidgeting, and finding work to do to distract herself...I shared a look with Robert that only two men could share at the frustration caused by women. She made the coffees and practically ran out of the kitchen and left us to follow.

Neela was already sitting down sipping her mug of coffee when the both of us walked in. I took one of the mugs and offered the other one to Robert. I opted to sit on a separate chair, while Robert took a seat on the sofa with Neela. I felt a small irrational pang of jealousy before remembering that Robert had a wife and child.

Neela's POV

I had relaxed into Ray after being alone with him for a couple minutes, that is until Robert had begun to apologize for interrupting us in the car. That was when I lost it completely and ran out of the kitchen as fast as I could manage, and now the easiness was gone and it was awkward again. Ray didn't even want to sit near me as he opted for the separate seat. We drank in silence and after we were done I gathered everyone's mugs and retreated into the kitchen. By the time I came back Robert was up and ready to leave.

"It's getting late, I better get going," he said standing up, and I nodded.

"Thanks again, and I'm sorry if I overstepped any lines earlier..."

"Oh, no, no, don't worry about it," I replied nervously, it was taking all my effort to not look at Ray right now. Robert went over and shook Ray's hand and thanked him also.

"Listen," Ray caught my attention, "I know you have an early shift tomorrow so I'll get going too."

"Oh, well, okay, I guess." Oh God, he wanted to leave.

"We'll talk later okay?"

"Yeah." Oh _God, _he wanted to talk.

And they both left. I figured Ray would want to talk about...all this before he would leave, but suddenly he seemed just as uncomfortable as I was, and before I could figure out how I even felt about that, he had left. But I knew he wouldn't avoid the issue for too long, and unfortunately I couldn't avoid it for long enough.


End file.
